Cellular wireless communications systems, for example, are designed to serve multiple wireless-enabled devices distributed over a large geographic area by dividing the area into regions called “cells” or “cell areas”. At or near the center of each cell area, a network-side access device (e.g., an access point or base station) is located to serve client devices located in the cell area and commonly referred to as “access terminals” (“ATs”) or user equipment (“UEs”). Examples of ATs or UEs include wireless-enabled devices such as cellular telephones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and/or other user equipment (e.g., mobile devices). An access terminal generally establishes a call, also referred to as a “communication session,” with an access point to communicate with other entities (e.g., servers) in the network.
Mobile wireless cellular networks (e.g. UMTS/WCDMA) have been implemented and are in operation globally. However, the coverage of those 2G/3G macro networks is often poor which causes call disruption to customers at home and inside buildings. The home base station (sometimes referred to as Home NodeB (“HNB”) or Femtocell Access Points “FAP”) is a solution to the indoor coverage problem providing complementary indoor coverage to 2G/3G macro networks for service continuity; moreover, it also acts as a new service platform to enable mobile wireless broadband applications and home entertainment.
A common problem, particularly in UMTS cellular networks is that femto system selection is difficult to achieve when the FAP and a macro network are deployed in different frequency carriers. In high-density urban or suburban areas where the macro signal is particularly strong indoors, the problem can become even more troublesome. One reason for these problems is that when a macrocell currently servicing a UE has a strong signal, it is unlikely that the UE will perform an inter-frequency search and re-select the FAP as its serving node.